PfAP2-G ChIP-seq in committed schizonts, sexual rings, and stage I gametocytes
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ABSTRACT:
ORGANISM(S): Plasmodium falciparum
PROVIDER: GSE120448 | GEO | 2019/02/11
REPOSITORIES: GEO
Similar Datasets
Project description:In the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum, the switch from asexual multiplication to sexual differentiation into gametocytes is essential for transmission to mosquitos. One of the key determinants of sexual commitment is the transcription factor PfAP2-G, which has been proposed to orchestrate this crucial cell fate decision by driving expression of gametocyte genes. We show conclusively that PfAP2-G is a transcriptional activator of gametocyte genes and identify the earliest known markers expressed during commitment. Remarkably, we also find that in sexually committed cells, PfAP2-G is associated with the promoters of genes important for red blood cell invasion and activates them through its interactions with a second transcription factor. We thus demonstrate an intriguing transcriptional link between the apparently opposing processes of red blood cell invasion and gametocytogenesis that is coordinated by the master regulator PfAP2-G. This finding has important implications for the development of new anti-malarial drugs that block the invasion of red blood cells by sexually committed cells, thereby preventing parasite transmission.
2019-02-08 | GSE120990 | GEO
Project description:In the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum, the switch from asexual multiplication to sexual differentiation into gametocytes is essential for transmission to mosquitos. One of the key determinants of sexual commitment is the transcription factor PfAP2-G, which has been proposed to orchestrate this crucial cell fate decision by driving expression of gametocyte genes. We show conclusively that PfAP2-G is a transcriptional activator of gametocyte genes and identify the earliest known markers expressed during commitment. Remarkably, we also find that in sexually committed cells, PfAP2-G is associated with the promoters of genes important for red blood cell invasion and activates them through its interactions with a second transcription factor. We thus demonstrate an intriguing transcriptional link between the apparently opposing processes of red blood cell invasion and gametocytogenesis that is coordinated by the master regulator PfAP2-G. This finding has important implications for the development of new anti-malarial drugs that block the invasion of red blood cells by sexually committed cells, thereby preventing parasite transmission.
2019-02-08 | GSE121312 | GEO
Project description:In the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum, the switch from asexual multiplication to sexual differentiation into gametocytes is essential for transmission to mosquitos. One of the key determinants of sexual commitment is the transcription factor PfAP2-G, which has been proposed to orchestrate this crucial cell fate decision by driving expression of gametocyte genes. Here we identify for the first time the direct targets of PfAP2-G and demonstrate that it dynamically binds hundreds of sites across the genome. We also identify major differences in PfAP2-G occupancy between gametocytes derived via next-cycle and same-cycle conversion, suggesting significant biological differences between these two pathways. By using a combination of ChIP-seq, transcriptomics, and CRISPR-Cas9, we are able to show definitively that PfAP2-G is a transcriptional activator of early gametocyte genes. Our data implicate PfAP2-G not just as a transcriptional activator of gametocyte genes, but also as a regulator of genes important for red blood cell invasion. Excitingly, we also demonstrate that PfAP2-G interacts with a second transcription factor to regulate transcription. These results shed new light on a critical part of the malaria parasite lifecycle by clarifying the role of PfAP2-G during gametocytogenesis.
2019-07-17 | GSE134268 | GEO
Project description:In the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum, the switch that occurs from asexual multiplication to sexual differentiation is essential for transmission to mosquitos. One of the key drivers of commitment to sexual development is the transcription factor AP2-G. Although it has been hypothesised that AP2-G orchestrates this crucial cell fate decision by driving expression of gametocyte genes, the molecular mechanisms by which this occurs remain unknown. We show conclusively that AP2-G is a transcriptional activator of gametocyte genes and identify the earliest target genes expressed during commitment. Remarkably, we also find that in committed cells AP2-G is associated with the promoters of genes important for red blood cell invasion and activates them through its interactions with another transcription factor. We thus demonstrate for the first time an intriguing transcriptional link between the apparently opposing processes of red blood cell invasion and gametocytogenesis. This suggests that committed schizonts may have a distinct invasion preference or pathway that is transcriptionally regulated by AP2-G.
2019-02-11 | GSE120488 | GEO
Project description:The sexual stages are vital phases in malaria parasite transmission and are the targets of various interventions such as transmission blocking vaccines. The molecular mechanisms underlying sexual development, however, remain poorly understood. We report mappping of a determinant previously linked to a male gametocyte development defect in the P. falciparum Dd2 parasite to an 82 kb region on chromosome 12. In order to find a critical gene in this region, we compared gene expression pattern in sexual stage of the parasite between Dd2 and its normal gametocyte-producing ancestor W2 clones. The region contains a sexual stage specific gene (pfmdv 1) that is expressed substantially at a lower level in the Dd2 than in W2 parasite. Disruption of pfmdv 1 results in a dramatic reduction in mature gametocytes, especially male gametocytes, with the majority of sexually committed parasites arrested at stage-I. The pfmdv-1 knockout parasites show an enlarged nucleus, often with separation of the inner and outer nuclear membranes and presence of multi-membrane vesicles in red blood cell cytoplasm. Mosquito infectivity of the knockout parasites is also greatly reduced, but not completely lost, suggesting presence of compensatory mechanisms in the sexual development pathways. Data include Day 8 gametocytes of male defective Dd2 and parental W2 clones of Plasmodium falciparum. The series includes three biological repeats. Keywords: repeat sample
2010-06-10 | E-GEOD-2265 | biostudies-arrayexpress
Project description:Differentiation from asexual blood stages to sexual gametocytes is required for transmission of malaria parasites from the human host to mosquitos, where sexual fertilization occurs to complete the lifecycle. Although preventing gametocyte development would block parasite transmission, the molecular mechanisms underlying sexual commitment and gametocyte maturation are still relatively unknown. Previous studies identified an ApiAP2 protein, AP2-G2, which plays a critical role in gametocyte maturation in rodent malaria parasite Plasmodium berghei by acting as the repressor of asexual stage genes in gametocytes. In this work we characterize the P. falciparum orthologue (PF3D7_1408200) of PbAP2-G2 and report that it plays a critical role in maturation of gametocytes. Disruption of pfap2-g2 did not obstruct commitment to sexual development but the majority of parasites were unable to develop normally beyond stage III gametocytes. In asexual stages PfAP2-G2 binds to the promoters of wide variety of genes expressed in diverse range of parasite’s life cycle stages including gametocytes, mosquito lifecycle stages early ring stage genes and genes encoding for proteins involved in egress and invasion. Surprisingly, we also identify binding of PfAP2-G2 in the gene body of almost 3000 genes. We could also show that PfAP2-G2 interacts with chromatin remodeling proteins and another ApiAP2 protein (PF3D7_1139300) whose motif is also overrepresented in the ChIP-seq data. Overall this work suggests that PfAP2-G2 is a transcriptional regulator that regulates genes possibly by recruiting additional transcription factors and chromatin remodeling machinery and plays a critical role in the development of malaria parasites as they transition from the asexual stage to gametocytes.
2021-02-16 | GSE157753 | GEO
Project description:The sexual stages are vital phases in malaria parasite transmission and are the targets of various interventions such as transmission blocking vaccines. The molecular mechanisms underlying sexual development, however, remain poorly understood. We report mappping of a determinant previously linked to a male gametocyte development defect in the P. falciparum Dd2 parasite to an 82 kb region on chromosome 12. In order to find a critical gene in this region, we compared gene expression pattern in sexual stage of the parasite between Dd2 and its normal gametocyte-producing ancestor W2 clones. The region contains a sexual stage specific gene (pfmdv 1) that is expressed substantially at a lower level in the Dd2 than in W2 parasite. Disruption of pfmdv 1 results in a dramatic reduction in mature gametocytes, especially male gametocytes, with the majority of sexually committed parasites arrested at stage-I. The pfmdv-1 knockout parasites show an enlarged nucleus, often with separation of the inner and outer nuclear membranes and presence of multi-membrane vesicles in red blood cell cytoplasm. Mosquito infectivity of the knockout parasites is also greatly reduced, but not completely lost, suggesting presence of compensatory mechanisms in the sexual development pathways. Data include Day 8 gametocytes of male defective Dd2 and parental W2 clones of Plasmodium falciparum. The series includes three biological repeats. Keywords: repeat sample
2005-05-01 | GSE2265 | GEO
Project description:Differentiation from asexual blood stages to sexual gametocytes is required for transmission of malaria parasites from the human to the mosquito host. Preventing gametocyte commitment and development would block parasite transmission, but the underlying molecular mechanisms behind these processes remain poorly understood. Here, we report that the ApiAP2 transcription factor, PfAP2-G2 (PF3D7_1408200) plays a critical role in the maturation of Plasmodium falciparum gametocytes. PfAP2-G2 binds to the promoters of a wide array of genes that are expressed at many stages of the parasite life cycle. Interestingly, we also find binding of PfAP2-G2 within the gene body of almost 3000 genes, which strongly correlates with the location of H3K36me3 and several other histone modifications as well as Heterochromatin Protein 1 (HP1), suggesting that occupancy of PfAP2-G2 in gene bodies may serve as an alternative regulatory mechanism. Disruption of pfap2-g2 does not impact asexual development, parasite multiplication rate, or commitment to sexual development but the majority of sexual parasites are unable to mature beyond stage III gametocytes. The absence of pfap2-g2 leads to overexpression of 28% of the genes bound by PfAP2-G2 and none of the PfAP2-g2 bound are downregulated, suggesting that it is a repressor. We also find that PfAP2-G2 interacts with chromatin remodeling proteins, a microrchidia (MORC) protein, and another ApiAP2 protein (PF3D7_1139300). Overall our data demonstrate that PfAP2-G2 is an important transcription factor that establishes an essential gametocyte maturation program in association with other chromatin-related proteins.
2021-02-01 | GSE160924 | GEO
Project description:Differentiation from asexual blood stages to sexual gametocytes is required for transmission of malaria parasites from the human to the mosquito host. Preventing gametocyte commitment and development would block parasite transmission, but the underlying molecular mechanisms behind these processes remain poorly understood. Here, we report that the ApiAP2 transcription factor, PfAP2-G2 (PF3D7_1408200) plays a critical role in the maturation of Plasmodium falciparum gametocytes. PfAP2-G2 binds to the promoters of a wide array of genes that are expressed at many stages of the parasite life cycle. Interestingly, we also find binding of PfAP2-G2 within the gene body of almost 3000 genes, which strongly correlates with the location of H3K36me3 and several other histone modifications as well as Heterochromatin Protein 1 (HP1), suggesting that occupancy of PfAP2-G2 in gene bodies may serve as an alternative regulatory mechanism. Disruption of pfap2-g2 does not impact asexual development, parasite multiplication rate, or commitment to sexual development but the majority of sexual parasites are unable to mature beyond stage III gametocytes. The absence of pfap2-g2 leads to overexpression of 28% of the genes bound by PfAP2-G2 and none of the PfAP2-g2 bound are downregulated, suggesting that it is a repressor. We also find that PfAP2-G2 interacts with chromatin remodeling proteins, a microrchidia (MORC) protein, and another ApiAP2 protein (PF3D7_1139300). Overall our data demonstrate that PfAP2-G2 is an important transcription factor that establishes an essential gametocyte maturation program in association with other chromatin-related proteins.
2021-02-01 | GSE160923 | GEO
Project description:During intra-erythrocytic development, late asexually replicating Plasmodium falciparum parasites sequester from peripheral circulation. This facilitates chronic infection and is linked to severe disease and organ-specific pathology including cerebral and placental malaria. Immature gametocytes M-bM-^@M-^S sexual stage precursor cells M-bM-^@M-^S likewise disappear from circulation. Recent work has demonstrated that these sexual stage parasites are located in the hematopoietic system of the bone marrow before mature gametocytes are released into the blood stream to facilitate mosquito transmission. However, as sequestration occurs only in vivo and not during in vitro culture, the mechanisms by which it is regulated and enacted (particularly by the gametocyte stage) remain poorly understood. We generated the most comprehensive P. falciparum functional gene network to date by integrating global transcriptional data from a large set of asexual and sexual in vitro samples, patient-derived in vivo samples, and a new set of in vitro samples profiling sexual commitment. We defined more than 250 functional modules (clusters) of genes that are co-expressed primarily during the intra-erythrocytic parasite cycle, including 35 during sexual commitment and gametocyte development. Comparing the in vivo and in vitro datasets allowed us, for the first time, to map the time point of asexual parasite sequestration in patients to 22 hours post invasion, confirming previous in vitro observations on the dynamics of host cell modification and cytoadherence. Moreover, we were able to define the properties of gametocyte sequestration, demonstrating the presence of two circulating gametocyte populations: gametocyte rings between 0 and ~30 hours post invasion and mature gametocytes after around 7 days post invasion. We used 164/TdTom, a transgenic parasite line expressing a red fluorescent protein reporter under a gametocyte-specific promoter to generate schizont samples. Schizonts were subsequently isolated from both the fluorescent and non-fluorescent population by FACS and prepared for microarray analysis. Two biological replicates were produced for both the fluorescent and the non-fluorescent samples.
2015-01-13 | E-GEOD-64887 | biostudies-arrayexpress